skilter

Skilter is a colloquial term used in parts of the United Kingdom, especially Scotland and northern England, to describe a person who shirks work or responsibility. As a noun, a skilter is a lazy or unreliable individual who avoids duties. The term often carries a mildly pejorative nuance and is typically used in informal conversation or regional writing.

As a verb, to skilter means to evade duties or shirk tasks; someone who skilters may leave early, miss deadlines, or feign illness to avoid work. Usage examples include: "He's known to skilter on his shifts," or "Don't skilter—get your chores done." The expression is largely confined to dialectal speech and is rarely encountered in formal writing.

Etymology is uncertain. The word is believed to originate in Scottish or Northern English dialects and may be related to older words for slipping away or evading obligations, but there is no consensus on its precise origins. It is considered archaic or regional in contemporary usage and is not widely recognized in standard English dictionaries.

See also: shirk, dodger, slacker, evasion.